


Abducted

by biggestswanfirefangirl



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-10-28 07:37:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20774939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/biggestswanfirefangirl/pseuds/biggestswanfirefangirl
Summary: Tamara and Greg abduct and torture Emma instead of Regina because Tamara knows Emma and Neal are still in love.





	1. Chapter 1

Emma was working late at the station that night to catch up on paperwork. David volunteered to help Emma but she insisted she could do it by herself. It was 11:30pm when she finally finished. She put all the paperwork in a file and put the file in the filing cabinet. She took a look around the station to make sure everything was straightened up, even though she already knew it was. 

She turned off the lights and walked out of the station, closing and locking the door behind her. She decided to walk home since it only took ten minutes to walk to the apartment and she could use the fresh air. She turned the corner on Main Street and found Tamara standing in front of her. 

"Tamara." Emma said kindly.

"Emma." Tamara said, annoyed. 

Then, Greg came behind Emma and knocked her out with a stick he had grabbed from the woods. He picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. He then carried her to his car and placed her in the back seat. Then, he got into the drivers seat and Tamara got in the passengers seat. Tamara and Greg exchanged an evil smirk before Greg drove to an empty warehouse near the beach. 

When they arrived at the warehouse, Greg got out and opened the back door. He picked up Emma, who was still unconcious, and slung her over his shoulder once more. He carried her into the warehouse, Tamara following behind him. They walked into a small room and Greg laid Emma on a table. He strapped her to the table, placing buckles over her wrists, ankles and stomach.

Greg left Tamara to watch Emma while he went to get something out of his car. A few minutes later, he returned with a strange looking machine and placed it in the corner of the room. Then he and Tamara left the room. They could still see Emma through a window, so they would know when she was awake, but the window was one sided, so she wouldn't be able to see them when she awoke. 

A minute later, Emma opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that her head was sore from being knocked out. She tried to sit up, but quickly realized she couldnt because she was strapped to a table. She looked around the room to see where she was. It was a plain room except for the table she was laying on and the machine in the corner. 

Just then, Tamara entered the room, Greg following behind her. Emma figured Tamara had brought her here since she was the last person she saw before being knocked out. But, she didn't know why Greg was here. 

"Tamara, Greg, why did you bring me here?" Emma asked confused. 

"I know you and Neal are still in love with each other." Tamara answered bluntly. 

"No we're not." Emma scoffed. 

"You were in love eleven years ago. You were each other's first love." Tamara said, trying to prove her point. 

"Yes, but it ended eleven years ago. I don't have feelings for Neal anymore." Emma lied. She did still have feelings for Neal, but she would never admit it. She kept denying it to herself. 

Then, Greg interjected. "I'm not going to listen to this arguing." He said rudely. 

"Why are YOU here?" Emma asked tersely. 

"I'm helping Tamara." He answered calmly. 

"Why?" Emma asked confused. 

"Because I love her and I would do anything for her." He answered, looking and smiling at Tamara. 

Tamara smiled back at him. "And I love him." She stated in a dreamy tone. 

"Wait. Your cheating on Neal?!" Emma practically yelled. 

"Yes." Tamara said calmly, as if cheating was such a natural thing. 

"So you never loved him? You were playing him this whole time?" Emma questioned, even though she already knew the answer. 

"Yes. But don't worry, he'll find out soon. And then I'll break up with him and marry Greg." Tamara informed. 

Emma scoffed. "When you tell him you cheated on him, he's gonna be breaking up with you." She retorted. She knew Neal a lot better then Tamara did. 

Tamara rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She said, annoyed.

Greg interjected once more. "Now the fun begins." He walked over to the machine in the corner and rolled it next to the table Emma was laying on. "Do you know what this machine is, Emma?" He asked mockingly. 

Of course Emma knew what it was. She was no idiot. "It's an electroconvulsive therapy machine." She answered simply. 

"Well, most people call it an electroshock therapy machine, but whatever. It's quite fun. You'll see." He informed her. 

Then, Greg placed two stickers on her forehead, one on each temple. He then connected a wire to each sticker and plugged the wires into the machine. He and Tamara exchanged another evil grin. 

"You know, Tamara and I work together. Our job is to destroy the magic in this world...starting with you. You're the savior, you can stop us and save this town and we can't have that. So we're going to destroy you." Greg informed Emma. 

"Why do you want to destroy magic?" Emma asked confused. 

"Because magic is a danger to this world." Tamara said bluntly.

"We heard about the magic diamond Regina has." Greg said plainly. "Where is it?" He questioned.

Emma knew exactly where it was. In fact, she was the only one who knew where it was. She had managed to deprive Regina of it that afternoon. She immediately hid it deep in the mines, where no one would find it. She refused to tell anyone where she hid it, so no one would be harmed with it. 

"I don't know." Emma lied.

"Oh, I think you do." Greg said. "Regina told me you took if from her this afternoon and no one knows where it is... Except for you." 

Emma couldn't deny that she knew where it was. But, she couldn't tell Tamara and Greg. Who knows what they would do with it. "I'm not going to tell you." She said firmly. 

"Yes you will. If you don't, I'll make you." He threatened, motioning to the machine. 

Emma was not afraid of him or his machine. He could torture her in any way he wanted. But, no matter what he did to her, she would never tell him. She couldn't. She couldn't risk her family or anyone else in the town being harmed. 

"Go ahead. Use your machine. I'm not going to tell you." Emma told him firmly. 

Greg just laughed as he pressed the button, making the machine shock her. But, Emma didn't scream or cry as Tamara and Greg had expected her to. She didn't even make a sound. She barely even flinched. She just closed her eyes until the shock was over. 

Tamara and Greg were both surprised with how tough she was. But, they still needed- or rather wanted- to know where the diamond was, so Greg decided to push the matter. "Well, you're a tough one, Emma, I'll give you that, but we still need to know where the diamond is." Greg said seriously. 

Emma was not one to take people's crap. And she wouldn't start doing so now. "And I told you, I'm not going to tell you where it is." She said stubbornly. 

"Why not?" He asked, annoyed. 

Emma sighed deeply. Did she really need to explain? "Because I don't know what you're planning to do with that diamond. I also know you won't tell me what you're planning to do with it. And I can't risk my family or anyone else in this town being harmed." She said matter-of-factly. 

"You're right, I'm not going to tell you what I'm planning to do with the diamond. You're quite perceptive." Greg stated. "But why do you care so much about everyone else? I could kill you." Greg pointed out. 

"It doesn't matter. I'm the savior. It's my job to protect the people I love. No matter what it costs me." Emma answered seriously. 

Greg laughed. "Of course. How could I forget?" He said mockingly, before shocking her again.


	2. Chapter 2

It was 1:30am and Emma had not come home yet. Snow and Charming were getting worried. They both had been calling and texting Emma for the past hour, receiving no response. Charming decided to go to the station to make sure she was okay. Snow stayed home with Henry, who had gone to bed at his normal bedtime of 10pm. 

When Charming arrived at the station, he found Emma was not there. Where would Emma be at this time of night and why would she not be answering her phone? Charming was very worried. He called Snow. 

Snow answered the phone pretty quickly. "Hey Charming, Is Emma okay? She asked, her voice laced with worry. 

Charming took a deep breath. "I don't know. She's not at the station." He answered sadly. 

"What?" Snow was beginning to worry. "Charming, do you think something happened to her?" 

Charming didn't want to worry Snow anymore then she already was, but he didn't want to lie to her either. "Honestly... I'm not sure." 

"Oh, I hope not." She said 

"Don't worry, Snow. I will find her. I will always find her." He said confidently. 

Snow relaxed a bit. "I know you will." She said confidently. 

Charming hung up the phone and immediately ran out of the station. He started searching the town. He didn't really know where to look, but he would search every inch of the town until he found her. 

Snow and Charming weren't the only people missing someone at 1:30am. Tamara hadn't been answering any of Neal's calls or texts for the past few hours. He was beginning to worry. He decided to search the town. He didn't really know his way around Storybrooke yet, but he searched the town anyway. 

As Neal was walking down Main street, he ran into Charming. Or rather Charming ran into him- literally. He seemed to be in a worried frenzy. Neal wondered what was wrong and why he would be out at this time of night. 

Charming saw that he had ran into Neal. "Neal, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you." He apologized sincerely. 

"It's okay." Neal said kindly. "Have you seen Tamara?" He asked. 

"No I haven't." Charming answered. "Why?" 

"She left our room at Granny's hours ago. She said she was going for a run on the beach and never came back. She hasn't been answering her phone." Neal said sadly. 

"Oh, I'm sorry." Charming said sincerely. "Have you seen Emma?" He asked. 

"No, why?" Neal asked confused. 

"She was working at the station late and she hasn't been answering her phone for the last few hours. I went to the station to check on her and she wasn't there." Charming explained sadly. 

"Do you think it's related? Both of them disappearing?" Neal asked curiously. 

"It's possible." Charming said thoughtfully. "Why don't we look for them together?" He suggested. 

"Okay." Neal agreed. 

So, they began to search the town. But after an hour, they had searched the whole town and didn't find either of the women. They were both a bit discouraged, but neither would give up. And if Neal was being honest with himself, he was much more interested in finding Emma than Tamara. 

"Why don't we search the woods next?" Neal suggested. 

"Let's do it." Charming agreed. 

Greg and Tamara had been torturing Emma for 3 hours straight, but she still wouldn't tell them where the diamond was. Emma was incredibly stubborn. At first Tamara and Greg found it impressive, but now they were growing irritated. 

After another hour of torture, Emma finally gave in and told them the diamond was buried in the woods. So, Tamara and Greg left to retrieve the diamond. Unbeknownst to them, Emma had sent them on a wild goose chase. She didn't know how much more of the shocking she could take. 

Emma didn't know how long Tamara and Greg would be gone, but she knew that when they returned they would be angry at her for lying about the location of the diamond. And who knows what they would do to her. She needed to try to escape while they were gone.

The buckles around her wrists, ankles and stomach were way to tight for her to get out of. After thinking for a moment, she realized she could use her magic to get out. But, she was still new to magic, so she didn't really know what to do. 

She remembered what Rumpel had told her. "Magic is emotion. You must ask yourself: "Why am I doing this? Who am I protecting?" Feel it." 

She knew it wasn't a good idea to use magic when she was weak, but she had to get out of here. She closed her eyes and focused. She was able to use her magic to remove the buckles that were strapping her to the table and the stickers on her forehead that connected to the machine. 

She got off the table, but as soon as she stood, she felt lightheaded from the shocking and using magic when she was weak. She passed out on the floor. She had no idea how long she was unconscious for, but when she awoke, Tamara and Greg were standing over her. She stood up although she was still dizzy. 

"How did you get off the table?" Tamara asked rudely. 

"Magic." Emma answered simply. 

Tamara scoffed. "I should've known. We searched the woods for hours and didn't find the diamond." She said curtly.

"You weren't supposed to." Emma retorted. 

"You sent us on a wild goose chase." Tamara said in realization. 

Emma just rolled her eyes. How was Tamara just know realizing this? She and Greg were idiots. 

"Apparently we didn't torture you enough. I guess we should continue." He taunted before shoving Emma into the table. 

Emma's dizziness and small size combined, made it easy for Greg to shove her into the table a little too forcefully. She landed on top of the table and would've flipped over it if it wasn't for Tamara standing on the other side. Tamara stabbed Emma with a needle and injected her with something. It was most likely a drug that's used to calm psych patients, but you couldn't be sure with these crazy people. 

The injection made Emma go still for a minute, allowing Greg to strap her to the table again. He walked over to the machine and turned the dial all the way up to it's highest level of electricity. He then shocked her several times. 

It was 4am. Charming and Neal searched every inch of the woods and found nothing. They were both discouraged and worried. Then Charming had a thought. "We haven't checked the beach." He said thoughtfully. 

Neal hadn't thought of that, but it was a good idea. "Let's go." He said, not wanting to waste any time. 

So, they walked to the beach. They searched the beach and the area around the beach for 2 hours. But again, they found nothing. 

Just as they were about to give up, Neal saw the warehouse. It was an empty warehouse no one used. And if someone was holding Emma and Tamara hostage, they would have them somewhere no one goes. "Let's check out the warehouse." Neal said, voice filling with hope. 

Charming thought about it for a moment. He thought the same things Neal had just thought. "Let's do it." He agreed, his voice too filling with hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! Chapter 3 will be up as soon as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

Back at the apartment, Snow tried to sleep, but she couldn't. She called Ruby to let her know what was going on. She forget it was the middle of the night and when Ruby answered the phone, Snow could tell she had woken her up. She felt bad for waking her up, but Ruby didn't mind. Ruby immediately got dressed and headed to the apartment.

Ruby didn't want Snow to be alone right now and Snow was glad to have the company. Especially if that company was her best friend. Snow decided she wasn't going to work that day so she called the school to let them know, so they would have time to find a substitute teacher.

As usual, Henry came down stairs dressed for school, wearing his backpack at 6:30am. He was still unaware of the situation since he was already asleep when it was discovered that Emma was missing. If he had been awake, he wouldn't have gone to sleep.

"Good morming, Grandma. Good morming, Ruby." He greeted.

"Good morning, Henry." Snow and Ruby said in sync.

It was then that he noticed his mom and grandpa weren't there. "Where's mom and grandpa?" He asked curiously. He figured they might have gone to the station early as they sometimes did.

Snow closed her eyes and sighed. Ruby bit her lip. Ruby looked at Snow, thinking she should be the one to tell him.

"Why don't you come sit?" Snow suggested motioning to the chair next to hers.

Henry was confused, but he did as she asked. He sat in the chair next to hers at the counter. He looked at her, waiting for her to explain.

Snow took a deep breath. "Henry, your mom never came home last night. Your grandpa and I thought she stayed at the station later then normal. We both called and texted her many times, but she didn't answer. So, your grandpa went to the station to check on her."

"And?" Henry asked, afraid of what her answer might be.

"She wasn't there. So your grandpa went to find her." Snow explained.

"And he found her right? He'll always find her. He'll always find all of us." Henry said confidently.

Snow smiled at Henry's belief in his grandpa. But, the smile quickly went away. "No." She answered sadly.

Henry's face fell. "What?" He asked, on the verge of tears.

Snow took a deep breath before continuing. "He started searching the town for her. And along the way, he ran into your dad, who was searching for Tamara. She disappeared too. They think it might be related, so they teamed up to search for both of them" Snow explained.

"Did they find her yet?" Henry asked, inquiring about Emma.

He didn't really care that Tamara was missing. He didn't like her. If his dad married her, Tamara would be his step mom. He didn't like that thought. He wanted his dad to marry his mom.

Snow knew how Henry felt. She felt the same way. "No, but hopefully soon they will." She said with hope, as usual.

"Yeah hopefully." Henry agreed.

He looked at the clock. "We're gonna be late for school." He informed her, although he didn't want to go to school.

"I'm not going to school today." She told him. She wouldn't be able to focus if she did.

"Do I have to?" Henry begged. He knew he wouldn't be able to focus either.

"No, I guess not." Snow answered.

"Okay." Henry said before slumping down in his chair. Though he tried to hold it in, tears escaped his eyes. The mama's boy in him just wanted his mama.

Charming entered the warehouse holding his gun. Neal followed behind him holding a gun Charming had lent him. They walked through the warehouse until they saw the window of the room Tamara and Greg were holding Emma in.

When they looked through the window, they both gasped at the sight of Emma straped to the table. And Neal, poor Neal. In this moment, he discovered that Tamara had not been abducted. She had partaken in abducting Emma.

Tamara and Greg had been torturing Emma for 6 hours. They were past the point of caring where the diamond was. They just wanted to kill Emma. So, they became more and more aggresive in their torturing. Emma didn't think she could handle much more.

Charming kicked the door open. He walked in with his gun up. Neal followed behind him with his gun.

Tamara and Greg both panicked. Charming went straight for Greg. Greg didn't stand a chance against Charming. Charming beat Greg senseless.

Neal went over to Tamara. "Tamara, how could you do this?" He asked, his tone laced with disbelief and anger.

Tamara laughed. Then, she saw Charming beating Greg. "Stop it!" She yelled at Charming. But, Charming didn't stop.

If she were a man, Neal would be beating her senseless too. But, she was a woman. And Neal was a gentleman who would never hurt a woman.

Charming punched Greg in the face so hard he passed out. "Greg!" Tamara screamed. She ran over to Greg and knelt down beside him. She was about to touch Greg, but Charming caught her hands and put them in handcuffs.

Neal went over to where Tamara was standing. He wanted answers. Tamara knew he wanted answers and she figured she should tell him now.

"Greg and I wanted to destroy magic." She explained.

Neal was confused. "Why?" He asked.

"Because our boss told us to."

"Who's your boss?"

"It doesn't matter. We needed that magic diamond to do it and since Emma is the only one who knows where it is, we brought her here. But, she wouldn't tell us." She explained.

"So you thought you'd torture it out of her?" He asked angrily.

"Yes. But no matter what we did, she wouldn't tell us. She said couldn't because she had to protect her family and the town. That girl is stubborn as a mule." Tamara explained.

Neal fought to hold back a smirk. He knew how stubborn she was. It was impressive, but sometimes, it could be a bit annoying. Though, that didn't make him love her any less.

Then Neal thought about how Tamara reacted when Charming beat him up. " You and Greg seem to be close friends." He pointed out.

"We're not just friends." She replied bluntly.

"What? Are you saying you've been cheating on me? With him?" He asked angrily.

"Yes." She replied simply. "I never loved you, Neal."

He scoffed in disbelief. To be honest, he never truly loved her either. She had practically forced him into a relationship. "You know what? I'm done with you, Tamara." He said firmly.

While Neal and Tamara were dealing with their issues, Charming went over to the table Emma was strapped to. He was so happy to see her. He had been so worried about her. "Emma!"

"David! How did you find me?" She asked in relief and confusion.

"Neal and I were looking for you all night. We were about to give up when Neal thought to check this warehouse." He explained.

Emma glanced over at Neal, who was arguing with Tamara before looking back at Charming. "Thank you." Emma said sincerely.

She didn't have to say what for. Charming understood the unspoken "for finding me" at the end of that sentence. "Emma, you don't need to thank me. I will always find you."

Emma smiled at him, touched, and he smiled back. By this time, Charming had removed the buckles strapping her to the table and the stickers on her forehead that connected to the machine. He winced at the dark red marks the shocking left on her temples.

Charming helped Emma sit and stand up. But as soon as she stood, she felt dizzy and weak. She fainted, but before before she fell on the ground, he caught her up in his arms.

Tamara tried to give the ring back to Neal, but he didn't want it. He didn't want a reminder of her or of the time they were together. "Keep it. I don't want it." He said.

Charming and Neal left the warehouse. Charming carried Emma, who was unconcious, back to the apartment. It was a pretty short distance and Emma was really light.

When they got to the apartment, Neal opened the door for Charming to go in with Emma. Snow, Henry and Ruby all gasped at the sight, half in relief to see her and half in shock at her state. All the adults thought Henry shouldn't see Emma in that state. They needed to take Henry somewhere else.

"Henry, let's go to Granny's." Neal said.

"I'll go with you guys. I have to work anyway." Ruby said.

Henry started to protest but a "dad look" from Neal made him stop. He reluctantly followed Neal and Ruby out the door. Neal put an arm around him, in an effort to comfort him. 

As soon as they had left, Charming carried Emma into his and Snow's room. Snow pulled back the blankets on their bed and Charming laid her down. He gently took off her red leather jacket and Snow took off her boots. Charming covered her with the blanket.

Then, Charming left the apartment. He drove the sheriff car back to the warehouse. When he went inside, he found Tamara, still handcuffed, and Greg, who had just regained consciousness. Without a word, he shoved Greg into the wall and put him in handcuffs. He pulled Greg away from the wall and grabbed onto Tamara with one hand.

"Let's go." he said firmly.

He shoved them into the back seat of the sheriff's car and drove to the station. Once they arrived at the sation, he put them in separate cells. He gave them both an angry look before turning to leave.

Ten minutes after being brought home, Emma regained consiousness. For a moment, she thought she was still in the warehouse and had dreamt of her dad and Neal finding her. But then, she realized she was in a bed, her parents bed. She didn't know why she was in her parents bed or how she got there, but she was relieved to know that she hadn't dreamed her dad and Neal finding her.

She sat up and quickly realized how weak she was. The severe shocking had definitely taken it's toll on her. Her head was throbbing. She sighed loudly, apparently loudly enough enough for Snow to hear from the living room.

Snow ran in the room to see her awake, sitting up in bed. She looked a bit confused, but she was okay. "Emma!" Snow exclaimed. Snow's loud voice didn't help Emma's throbbing head. She winced slightly.

"Are you okay?" Snow asked.

"Yeah." Emma answered softly. "How are we here?" She asked, still confused.

"You mean at the apartment?" Snow asked for clarity.

"Yeah."

Snow looked worried. "Your dad and Neal found you at the warehouse, remember?" She asked.

"Yeah... But then I passed out and..."

"And then your dad carried you back here." Snow explained.

"Oh." Emma said, embarrased at the thought of having to be carried by someone.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Snow asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Emma lied.

Emma was a good liar, but Snow didn't believe her. "Emma, after being put through seven hours of torture, being severely shocked, there's no way you're completely okay. You're very strong and stubborn, but it's okay to not be okay. Admiting that you're not okay, doesn't make you weak." Snow told her.

Emma sighed "Okay fine. My head hurts a little. But it's fine, I'll live." She admitted.

"Well, there would be something wrong with you if your head didn't hurt after going through what you went through." Snow teased. But Snow was worried. Emma might've said it only hurt a little, but she wouldn't admit to being in pain unless it hurt really badly. So, you know she was in pain. "Is there anything we can do to make your head stop hurting?" She asked.

"No, not really. It's just one of those things you have to deal with until it goes away." Emma explained.

Snow felt bad for her. "I'm sorry." She said genuinely.

"It's not your fault." Emma said, brushing it off.

"Rest will help. Snow said. "You probably didn't sleep last night, did you?" She asked.

"Only when I was unconcious." Emma answered.

"That's not sleep." Snow said.

Emma rolled her eyes, which she immediately regretted because it made her head hurt worse. She sighed. She couldn't deny her exhaustion.

She decided to change the subject. "Where's Tamara and Greg?" She asked.

"After your dad and Neal brought you home from the warehouse, your dad went back to the warehouse to get Tamara and Greg. He's gonna arrest them and lock them up in the station. Then your dad will back." Snow said.

"Good. Where's Henry and Neal?"

"Well, we didn't want Henry to see you unconcious, so Neal and Ruby took him to Granny's."

"Ruby was here?"

"She was here with me all night. I called her to tell her what was going on and she didn't want me to be alone."

"Oh."

"Why don't you lay down and try to sleep?" Snow suggested, seeing how tired Emma was.

"No, I'm fine." Emma lied.

"Emma, you didn't sleep last night and you suffered torture worse then most people could survive. And I'm so proud of you! But, there's no way you're not exhaused and in pain after that. You need to rest so you can feel better." Snow said gently, trying to reason with her.

"She does have a point." Emma thought. She sighed. "Okay." She gave in reluctantly.

"Good." Snow said with a smile.

Emma was about to get up from the bed, when Snow stopped her, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Where are you going?" She asked, confused.

"I just thought I would go to my bed so I'm not taking up yours." Emma explained.

"Nonsense. You can stay in our bed for as long as you need to." Snow told her.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked.

"Of course. Now, lay down." She instructed gently.

"Okay." Emma said reluctantly. She layed back down.

Snow pulled the covers over her. "Sleep well. I love you."

"I love you too, mom."

Snow cried tears of joy. Emma had never told her she loved her or called her mom. She smiled at Emma before leaving the room. Charming returned shortly after.

Emma slept for six hours, which was a long time for Emma. She usually only slept for a few hours. If she slept at all, that is. Most nights, she didn't sleep because she was busy dealing with villians and town crisises.

She awoke feeling much better. Not a hundred percent, but a lot better than before. She went into the living room. Charming and Snow were both suprised to see her awake and up. "Hey, honey." Charming greeted her.

Emma furrowed her brows at the nickname. He had never called her that before. "Hi."

"Feeling better?" He asked.

"Yeah." She answered. She looked and sounded better.

"Are you hungry?" He asked.

"No." Emma answered.

"You haven't eaten all day. You should eat something." He said.

Emma sighed. She knew she should eat to get the rest of her strength back, but she wasn't hungry. She bit her lip.

"Go sit on the couch. I'll make you a grilled cheese." He knew it was her favorite food.

Emma sighed. She stood there stubbornly for a moment before reluctantly giving in. "Okay." She went and sat on the couch.

About ten minutes later, Charming handed her the grillled cheese and a mug full of hot chocolate with cinnamon.

"Thanks." Emma said.

"You're welcome." Charming said before turning to go back into the kitchen.

Emma caught his arm and he turned around. "Dad?" She said.

She had never called him dad before. He honestly wasn't sure if he'd ever hear it. Tears built up in his eyes. "Yes?" He asked.

"Thank you for finding me today." She said sincerely.

"Oh, Emma, I will always find you." He responded.

Then to his surprise, she hugged him. She had never initiated the hug before. He wasted no time hugging her back.

"I love you, Emma." He told her.

"I love you too, dad." She said.

Now, Charming couldn't hold back the tears. That was the first time she had told him she loved him. He was sure he would never get tired of hearing her say she loved him or calling him dad. He decided to take a risk and kiss her on the forehead. To his surprise, she allowed him and didn't pull away.

After Emma ate, she went to take a shower. When she got out, Snow and Charming both suggested she get some more sleep. It took a while to convince Emma, but eventually she reluctantly agreed. She decided to go to her bed this time. But no more sleep came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! I'll have chapter 4 up as soon as possible.


	4. Chapter 4

Neal spent the day with Henry. He wanted to keep Henry away from the apartment, so he wouldn't see Emma in her current state. He knew it would scare and worry Henry. Henry asked Neal about Emma multiple times that day.

"Is mom okay?" Henry asked.

"She's tired and her head hurts, but she'll be okay. She's strong." Neal said trying to comfort Henry in any way he could.

"Good. When Can I see her?" Henry asked.

"I don't know, buddy. I guess you'll see her tonight when I drop you off at the apartment." Neal answered.

"Okay." Henry said in a whiny voice.

Neal chuckled. Then he thought of something that might make him feel better. He knew Henry didn't like Tamara. "I broke up with Tamara."

"What? Really? When?" Henry asked.

"I broke up with her today." Neal said in a relieved voice.

"Good!" Henry yelled. He covered his mouth with his hand. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. "I mean... Are you okay?"

Neal laughed. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Why did you break up with her?" Henry asked curiously.

"I found out she was cheating on me with Greg. Plus..." He didn't know if he should tell Henry this or not, but he knew he would find out eventually. "She and Greg were the ones who held Emma hostage at the warehouse." Neal explained sadly.

Henry's face dropped. "What? Why would they do that?" Henry asked angrily.

"They wanted to destroy magic and since Emma's the savior..."

Neal didn't need to finish that sentence for Henry to understand. It made Henry mad and upset. "I'm sorry Tamara cheated on you."

"You don't need to apologize." Neal told him. "If I'm being honest, I never truly loved her anyway. She basically forced me into a relationship I didn't want."

Henry said nothing, but gave Neal a sympathetic smile. "Do you still love mom?" Henry blurted out.

Neal knew the question would come up eventually. "Yes. I never stopped loving her and I never will." He said honestly. "But she doesn't love me... and she shouldn't. I broke her heart." Neal said sadly, voice full of regret.

"She does love you and she forgave you. I can tell." Henry said confidently.

Neal smiled. "I hope you're right, buddy."

Around 9pm, Neal brought Henry back to the apartment. As soon as he walked through the door, he asked about Emma. "Where's mom?" He asked his grandparents.

"She's sleeping." Snow answered.

"Already?" Henry asked. She usually didn't go to sleep until much later.

"Well, last night was rough on her, so she needs to rest." Snow told him.

"Oh." Henry replied sadly.

"Henry, why don't you go take a shower?" Neal told him.

"Okay." Henry agreed reluctantly.

After Henry went into the bathroom, Neal turned to Snow. "I know Emma's sleeping, but could I go check on her? I just wanna see for myself how she's doing. She didn't look very good at the warehouse. Plus, I owe her an apology."

"What for?" Snow asked curiosly.

"She told me Tamara was the woman August was trying to warn us about, but I didn't believe her."

"None of us did." Snow said, trying to make him feel less guilty.

"I know. That's the problem. If we all had believed her we could've possibly stopped her being tortured." Neal pointed out.

Snow suddenly felt guilt too. "You're right. Go ahead."

Neal smiled at her slightly. He went up the stairs to the loft. He rounded the corner and saw Emma, awake, sitting on the edge of her bed.

Emma had heard him coming up the stairs. She assumed it was Snow or Charming. She was surprised to see Neal. She wondered why he was there, but she was glad to see him.

"Neal?"

"Hey Emma."

"What are you doing here?"

"I just brought Henry home."

"Oh."

Neal came a bit closer. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. You didn't look very good at the warehouse."

"I'm fine now." Emma said.

"Good." Neal said.

Emma remembered he had helped her dad find her at the warehouse. "Speaking of the warehouse, thanks for helping my dad find me."

"Of course." Neal said. Again, he came a bit closer. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you when you told me Tamara was the woman August was warning us about."

"It's okay. I know you probably thought I was just a jealous ex." Emma playfully mocked him.

"No, I didn't. I just thought you were trying to get back at me... for leaving you." Neal said.

"No! I wouldn't do that. Neal, I'm not mad at you for that anymore." Emma said firmly but gently.

"You're not?" Neal asked in surprise.

"No. I forgave you the moment you apologized to me." Emma said truthfully.

Neal closed his eyes and took a breath. He opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Thank you." He again came a bit closer.

Emma smiled back. She had noticed each time he came closer. "You can sit down." She offered, motioning to the bed.

Neal was slightly embarrased that she had noticed him slowly inching closer. But why wouldn't she have noticed? She noticed everything. He sat next to her on the bed. They were kind of awkward around each other ever since their reunion in New York.

Emma decided to break the mold. "I'm sorry you had to find out about Tamara like that."

Neal shrugged. "It's okay."

Emma was confused. "How is it okay?"

"If I'm being honest, I never truly loved her. She forced me into a relationship I didn't want." Neal explained.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Emma said sincerely.

Neal shrugged again. "It's alright."

Emma gave him an apologetic look. Neal hesitantly reached out and put his hand on hers. He looked at her, his brown eyes meeting her blue-green eyes. They exchanged a smile.

In that moment, it felt like old times for both of them. They could still feel the love they once shared. But, it was still there. They were both afraid to speak of their feelings, though neither knew why.

It was then Neal noticed how tired Emma was. "Well, I better let you rest." He said.

"Okay." Emma agreed sadly.

Emma didn't want Neal to leave. Suddenly, she hugged him. He was surprised by the hug, but he liked it. He had missed her hugs for those eleven long years. He immediately hugged her back.

When Emma released Neal, he held on for a minute before letting go. He got up from the bed. They exchanged another smile before Neal went back downstairs.

A moment later, Henry came out of the bathroom in his pajamas. He sat at the counter with his dad and grandparents. They all sat in silence for a while.

"Anyone want hot chocolate?" Snow asked.

Henry perked up a little. "With cinnamon?"

"Always." Snow answered, earning a smile from Henry. She got up to make it. "Charming, Neal?"

"Yes please." Charming answered.

"No, thank you. I'm gonna head out for the night." Neal said, standing up

Henry got up and hugged him. "Good night, dad."

Neal hugged back. "Good night, buddy."

After Henry released Neal, he turned to Snow and Charming. "Good night."

"Good night." Snow and Charming replied.

After Neal had left and Henry, Snow and Charming drank their hot chocolate, it was Henry's bedtime. Henry went and brushed his teeth. Now, he wanted to see his mom. "Can I see mom before I go to bed?" He asked his grandparents.

"Yeah, I guess so." Snow allowed.

"Not for long." Charming added.

"Yay!" Henry ran up the stairs to the loft.

Emma was again sitting on the edge of her bed. Sleep was not coming. Then she heard someone running up the stairs. When she saw that it was Henry, her face lit up. "Henry!"

"Mom!"

Henry jumped onto the bed into Emma's lap and threw his arms around her, burying his face in her chest. She wasn't expecting him to jump into her lap, but she didn't object. She immediately returned the hug, squeezing tightly.

"I missed you." Henry said softly, once they released each other.

"I missed you too." Emma replied.

"I'm glad you're okay." Henry said.

Emma said nothing, but smiled. As always, he smiled back. Then, Emma looked at the clock and saw it was past his bedtime.

"It's past your bedtime, Henry." She said gently.

"I know." Henry said. "Can I just stay with you for a bit longer?" He asked in a small voice that made him sound like the four year old she never got to know.

Emma couldn't refuse him. "Of course." She said, earning a smile from Henry.

Then, Henry moved to the other side of the bed and layed down under the covers. Emma layed down next to him. After a few minutes, Henry rolled onto his side, moving close to Emma. He put his arms around her and layed his head on her shoulder.

Henry had done this for the first time the night Emma and Snow got back from the Enchanted Forest. This was the second time and it made her heart swell just as it did the first time. She wrapped her arms around him.

She knew he was probably to old for this since he was now eleven, but she didn't care. She never got to snuggle with him when he was little, so she had lost time to make up for. Plus, she knew he wouldn't want to snuggle when he got older, so she figured she may as well enjoy it while it lasts.

"I love you mom." Henry said quietly.

"I love you too, Henry." 

Henry smiled. Emma felt him snuggle closer to her. She snuggled him closer too and kissed the top of his head.

Within a few minutes, Henry fell asleep in his mother's arms. He had snuggled with Emma once before, but this was the first time he had fallen asleep in her arms. She smiled and kissed the top of his head again. And finally, with her little boy in her arms, she welcomed sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter in this story. Thank you so much for reading!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! Chapter 2 will be up as soon as possible.


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